Tag: university
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UV Device Kills Computer Keyboard Bacteria
Environmental tests at University of Hertfordshire in the U.K. support claims that a device for killing bacteria on computer keyboards works as advertised. The university’s Biodet lab tested the Germ Genie made by Falcon Innovations in High Wycombe, U.K., and reported the results at recent industry and academic meetings. The results of the university’s tests…
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Electronic Field Guide Created in iPhone App
Columbia University in New York, the University of Maryland in College Park, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. have created a tree identification guide called Leafsnap that operates as a smartphone app. The guide is available free of charge for the Apple iPhone; Android and iPad versions are planned for later this year. This…
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Genes Associated with Glaucoma Identified
Researchers in Australia and the U.K. have identified two genes associated with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), the most common form of the disease that can lead to blindness. The team’s findings are published online this week in the journal, Nature Genetics. The researchers tested some 4,500 patients in Australia and New Zealand, including 590 individuals with…
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Grant Funds Cross-Border Illegal E-Waste Tracking
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $2.5 million grant to help international efforts that curb improper disposal of hazardous electronic waste. EPA estimates that only about five percent of the more than 40 million metric tonnes of annual global e-waste are being recovered. The five-year grant to the United Nations University (UNU)…
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Foundations, Duke University Start Biomed Engineering Fund
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina has created a $20 million endowment to encourage research collaborations between bioengineers and clinicians that aims to develop new technologies to improve patient care. Duke’s medical and engineering schools are taking part in the endowment. The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in Miami, Florida is funding half of the Duke…
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Remote-Control Intubation Device Developed for Anesthesia
Physicians and engineers at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada have developed a remote-control system for intubation in anesthesia, and used the device for the first time on a live patient. Endotracheal intubation is a medical procedure in which a tube is placed into the windpipe, through the mouth or the nose to deliver…
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New Process Devised For Efficient Hydrogen Production
A research team at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has discovered that catalysts based on the element molybdenum can make possible a more cost-effective and sustainable process for producing hydrogen. Their findings appear in the journal Chemical Science (paid subscription required). Hydrogen is an abundant element on earth, but still remains difficult…
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Chlorine Found to Boost Flat Panel Display Technology
Materials scientists at University of Toronto in Canada have found a simple way to use chlorine to reduce the complexity of Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) devices and improve their efficiency. The faculty/student team published their findings in this week’s issue of the journal Science (paid subscription required). OLEDs are used in a wide variety of…
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Duke, Novartis to Develop Pandemic Virus Vaccines
The Duke Human Vaccine Institute in Durham, North Carolina agreed today with the pharmaceutical company Novartis to collaborate on the rapid development of a vaccines in case of virus threats such as pandemic influenza. The agreement also creates a research partnership to tackle both basic and translational vaccine studies. The five-year agreement calls for the…
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Sensors, Computer Controls Reduce Building HVAC Energy
A computer engineer at University of California in San Diego (UCSD) looked no further than his own office building to conduct research on the use of sensors and computer algorithms to better control heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Yuvraj Agarwal and his colleagues at UCSD presented their findings yesterday at an Information Processing…